VBAC & large baby should I have an induction?

[Pickledprawn]

I saw the antenatal team today who have advised an induction at 39 weeks due to my baby measuring large and due to me having a c section in 2020. Can anyone point me in the direction of some useful resources and research about this or have any experience or advice? My gut feeling is to wait for labour to start naturally as I think this will make VBAC more likely.

Personally I would agree with you, I had an induction 10 weeks ago with my first baby and if possible with my next baby I would absolutely try my best to avoid it. Although it wasn’t horrendous it was absolutely more unpleasant than natural would have been if nothing else because my induction lasted 2 days and so by the time my waters finally broke and I was pushing I’d already had 48 hours of pain, basically no sleep as I was being monitored and checked and given gels etc throughout both nights, I was absolutely exhausted by the time I had to actually push! I did have a vaginal birth but with an episiotomy and forceps so not the birth I’d hoped for. Inductions do have higher chances of intervention/ending in c sections I was told and in my case that was true, there were 3 other women on my ward afterwards who had inductions all ended in c sections so I do feel lucky I at least avoided that x

That sounds like a difficult birth I hope you and baby are well. I hope you don't mind me asking but did they want to induce because baby was measuring large?

It's a long time ago since I was in a similar position - both my VBAC babies are adults now - so things may have changed, but the advice then was very much to avoid induction if possible.
I read a lot of research at the time and found I had to be quite careful as a lot of the papers were either old or came from the USA where obstetric practice is quite different anyway. I found the Royal College of Obstetricians guidelines and papers on the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) website most useful as they were current and UK based. I'd start by looking there if I were you - hopefully they're still there.
I hope all goes well whatever you decide.

Baby measuring big was one of the reasons for my induction yeah! They had done growth scans every 2 weeks and said she was going to be a 10lb baby, my last one at 39 weeks she was supposedly measuring 9lb 10oz so that plus other factors was the reason for inducing… she was 7lb 14 born😂

Thank you I will have a look. I agree I'm sure that induction is best avoided. My hospital seems to be very quick to offer them and their c section rate is also very high. (Not uk)

My hospital don't allow inductions if you've had a c section before. Only options are going in to labour naturally by 41 weeks, or having a planned c section.

I had an emergency c section due a failed induction with my first and I was prepared to tell the hospital this time that I would be refusing induction this time. So it worked out that they don't allow inductions anyways in my situation 😂

Is that in Australia @auspreg?

My hospital only allows Cook Balloon inductions (non medicated) as the medications make contractions too strong and can cause uterine rupture. If I don't labour naturally then they will offer that and if that fails it will be c-section (which I am also hoping to avoid).

@SwayingInTime yes, in Perth!